Friday, December 13, 2013

Jimmer is the Coolest Guy in Sac Town

I admit it. I have a "Jimmer" section on my Google News homepage. But lately, it's been rare for me to click on a heading and actually read the article. It's all so depressing-- they only talk about "trade rumors" that never come to fruition or how he is currently setting the NBA record for the longest streak of DNP-CDs for a top-10 draft pick. But this story caught my eye this morning.

THIS is why I love Jimmer, no matter what. No matter how many people are making fun of him, no matter how many people are saying he's a bust, and no matter how many pairs of shorts he wears out from sitting on the bench all day long, he is still a genuine, humble, and all-around good guy.

I wasn't surprised by this story at all-- he is one of few NBA players I can actually see doing something like playing basketball with a bunch of little kids he's never met before. Well, some of them might do it if there were a bunch of news cameras around, waiting to write a PR story that could boost their public image, and if the whole thing could be over with in 10 minutes flat. But in this case, there were no news cameras, no hype, and he stayed and ran drills with them and played for an hour.

Yes, the story surfaced on the news later, but you can tell the only pictures from the actual event were probably taken on one of the kid's cell phones. He definitely didn't do this to get publicity-- he did it to make a difference in these little kids' lives. I love the kid at the very end of the video-- "I can say that he's my friend now!" As Chandler Bing might say, "Can you BE any more adorable?"

I don't care if he "can't play defense". I don't care if he gets stuffed at the hoop by gigantic guys who are 2 feet taller than him. If I were an NBA manager, I'd want Jimmer on my team because he's a genuinely good person, great for a positive public image (and any NBA team could benefit from that these days!) . . . AND he's a great basketball player.

He's not happy in Sacramento and probably never will be, but I hope the rumors are true that he might be the #1 backup point guard soon on the Sacramento Kings rotation. I think he would at least be a little happier if he could get some consistent playing time. But overall, I really hope he gets to go to a better team next year when his contract runs out (I don't think it would be possible for him to go to a worse team, so the odds of that aren't too shabby . . .) He may never be a consistent starter in the NBA, but he deserves to play. I'll stand by him no matter how long it takes. Join the revolution: #FREEJIMMER!!